Overall Goal

The overall goal here should be to spend time once or twice a month buying and re-packaging food in order to make daily feeding as easy as possible.

I always have two days worth of food in my refrigerator thawing - tomorrow's and the next day's - so that I can simply warm to body temperature and serve.

Buying

Grocery Store

Watch for sales! Chicken (whole, & leg quarters) is often on sale. Meat departments typically mark down beef & pork nearing expiration date but you must arrive early enough to take advantage of price reductions. Some stores occasionally carry heart (beef, pork, turkey, & chicken). Check with meat department managers.

Some local meat markets prepare a 'blend' for dogs. These blends might contain more veggies than dogs require, so be prepared to ask the butcher about ingredient percentages.

• Be skeptical since butchers are typically not knowledgeable about dog nutrition requirements.

Specialty markets - particularly Asian markets - often have fish and meats not found in typical grocery stores.

Buying Co-op

There are enough raw feeders around that you can likely find a local raw food buying co-op. Search social media, including Google and Yahoo Groups, for 'dog food co-op' or 'Raw Fed dog.' Include your locality name or dog breed to narrow results.

• CAUTION: Many people have weird ideas about what constitutes healthy raw feeding ingredients. For your dog's sake, please do your own research first - read Lew Olsen's book.

Distributor

If there is a meat or grocery distributor nearby, they may sell bulk meat if you make it clear that it is for dogs.

• I buy for four dogs (my three and a friend's) so it is more cost-effective to buy bulk from a distributor. Bulk purchases include pork cushion meat (60lbs), chicken feet (40lbs), chicken carcass/frame (40lbs), pork heart (15lbs), beef heart (15lbs), turkey heart (40lbs), turkey necks (30lbs), chicken necks (40lbs), beef liver (12lbs), beef kidney (15lbs). Obviously, I don't buy everything all at once since I have limited freezer space.

Cut-up and re-packaged meat to make the best use of freezer space.

I have a meat grinder and grind whole chickens and turkey necks for my friend whose Standard Poodle has a swallowing problem. I package ground products in 1lb or 2lb weights in Ziploc® bags. These bags are handy because they stack well in the freezer.

Before you go all-out, first determine what really is meal-sized for your dog(s).

• It took 6-8 months of trial feeding to find the ideal amount for each dog in order to maintain their target weight. My starting point was feeding at 2.5% of target body weight (they are now at just under 2% of meat per day). Once every few months I check their weight and feel their ribs for excess fat. There is no rush to do this so relax and take your time.